Under the Desert Sun
by radiorobot123
Summary: Dani and Bill have been best friends for as long as anyone can remember. They've also butted heads for as long as anyone can remember. Throw in a lost king, a team of curse breakers and a good mystery, and you've got yourself a story.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** All canon characters, scenery and plot references are the property of J.K. Rowling. I do not own or profit from this story in any way.

 **Rating** : M for language and some eventual sexual content

 **Summary:** Dani and Bill have been best friends for as long as anyone can remember. They've also butted heads for as long as anyone can remember. Throw in a lost king, a team of curse breakers and a good mystery, and you've got yourself a story.

 **Author's Note:** Apparently I'm a glutton for punishment, because this is the third of three un-finished stories that I am posting. Anyway, this is a Bill/OC fic that is slightly AU, only in the fact that Fleur and Bill don't meet or get together in my story. Fleur will make an appearance and I slightly demonize her (no hard feelings, I _like_ Fleur—It's just for the progression of the story).

I've taken some liberties with my take on curse-breaking, but other than that, enjoy!

* * *

 **Under the Desert Sun**

Chapter One: Pyramid, Scheme.

 _I don't have to leave anymore  
What I have is right here,  
Spend my nights and days before  
Searching the world for what's right here.  
_ **Islands-** The XX

* * *

The corridor was dark. Fingers of dusty light leaked through the cracks in the stone walls, glimmering brightly in beams that cast wild shadows across the narrow hall. Danielle took a shaky breath of dusty air and wiped sweat from her brow with the indigo bandana that hung around her neck. It was going to be especially hot today, and even now, so early in the morning, the humidity was sweltering.

She paused, squinting down the corridor again. She'd passed through it dozens, maybe hundreds of times before, but being reckless even for a second could get you killed down here. They'd removed most of the curses and traps in this hall, at least, but there always seemed to be more, hidden away in the darkness.

The chamber was small, maybe an arms span across. Large sandstone bricks made up the walls and floors, coated with layers of dust and sand that were marred with the faint footprints and scuffs from the frequent and systematic forays made by her team. To her trained eye, each brick held faint markings, patterns and hieroglyphs, some enchanted with traps and spells, others issuing warnings, telling stories or depicting images of the lives that had built these tunnels, or, the lives that would occupy them in the afterlife.

Dani glanced down at her dragon hides boots, flexing her feet inside of them. They were sturdy, but flexible, and they wouldn't do much good for protection, but they good for moving quickly, which suited her well. She'd always been quick on her feet.

Another deep breath and she was moving forward into the hall, regarding her footing carefully. One wrong step, only an inch to the left or right could mean certain death, but, for her, the steps came easily. It was almost a dance now, a step to the left, two forward, spinning under a shaft of life, spring forward, duck and spin, back and left and right again. She'd always loved dancing.

The closer that she got to the far side of the passage, the further apart her footholds were. She carefully jumped over a shaft of light, landing gracefully on another tile a few feet in front of her. _I am a cat,_ she assured herself. _I have nine lives and I cannot falter._ The next jump was difficult, but she moved all the same. _A cat,_ she remembered, _does not give up._ She turned, taking a deep breath and sprang forward, landing on the ledge at the far side of the passage. She grinned triumphantly, shouldering her leather knapsack, and ducking under another beam of light and into the annex beyond.

It was an antechamber of sorts, and was much wider than the halls leading here. There was a table set up in the centre of the room, and large lights near the walls. Dani bypassed both, choosing instead to light the end of her wand, preferring the magic of the tomb to the harsh artificial lighting. _A cat can see in the dark._

She eyed the archway that led deeper into the pyramid longingly, but, as much as she'd like to continue on, explore the lesser traveled reaches of the pyramid, that wasn't why she'd come in this morning, and she needed to stay focused.

She pulled her bag from her shoulder, slinging it over one of the chairs that her team had set up, and digging through it until she found a leather bound journal and self-inking quill.

She flipped through the pages, and with the skill of a practiced hand, she copied down some of the hieroglyphs from the wall of the antechamber, stopping to choose the words she scrawled carefully. It took half an hour, and she stopped twice to drink from her canteen, but when she closed the journal with a snap, she had a grin on her face.

Even making her way back through the chamber, (It was much easier crossing from the opposite side), she couldn't keep the giddy grin off her face. In what seemed like no time at all, she was back across, where she promptly ran directly into something, or more precisely, someone.

She stumbled back, cutting directly through one of the light beams.

Hands grasped her, pulling her into a muscular chest, and she barely missed an enchantment that darted across the chamber, right where she had been standing, just seconds before.

"William Weasley! What the hell!" She exclaimed, looking into the startling blue eyes of the familiar redhead. "I could have been killed!"

"Then you should count yourself lucky that I was here," Bill said in return, taking a step back from her, and looking her over to make sure she was alright.

"What?" Dani scoffed, "I wouldn't have needed your help if you hadn't knocked me back into the beam in the first place!"

"What were you thinking anyway?" Bill ignored her accusations, leading the way back through the other cambers and annexes that they'd already disarmed. "Going in alone?"

"I had hieroglyphs that I needed to get," Dani copied Bill's action of dodging to the left and ducking under another shaft of light. They had reached the main annex now, a large cathedral style room with large stone columns spanning up to the ceiling. Like many magical pyramids, the pyramid was much larger on the inside. "It's not my fault that you slept in so bloody late."

"-And it's not my fault that you wanted to go out last night," Bill countered as the ascended the step steps that led out into the hot desert sun. Ahead of them were tents, about two dozen, forming a small city of canvas near the dried up river bed. "And it's definitely not my fault that you talked me into just 'one more drink' last night." He added, rubbing his head with a wince.

"You didn't have to drink it," Dani grinned at him, "Have you been to see Madge yet?" She reached up to ruffle her friend's long tresses, pulling them out from the leather throng that held it out of his face. "She brews the best hang over potions."

Bill swatted her hand away, "I'm not hung over," He said grumpily. He stopped abruptly on the path and turned to look at her, his face serious. "Dani," He breathed, reaching a hand up to cup the side of her face. "You shouldn't have gone in alone, it's not safe…" He told her, worry evident in his tone. He didn't like the idea that no one had been with her— that _he_ hadn't been with her. "Promise me you won't do it again?"

Dani studied her best friend, brow furrowed. He was tall, towering over her by at least a foot, with his long red hair and bright blue eyes shining with emotion. His tanned face was marred with scars, remnants from Fernier Greyback and the war, but he still was one of the most handsome men that Dani knew. He constantly wore a dragon tooth earring in one ear, and a thick leather necklace with a ring on it around his neck. Despite the heat, he was wearing his trademark leather jacket, and a loose green shirt which did nothing to hide his very well-toned body. He was wearing tan pants and leather boots, and staring at her with an intensity that, frankly took her aback.

She could hardly say no. She wasn't reckless, well….not usually….not on purpose. But…occasionally, she had to do things on her own, and she couldn't be bothered to wait if there was no one else around. She was known for being stubborn and impatient, and once determination struck, there was nothing for it. But now, with Bill looking at her so sincerely, she couldn't help but nod along.

Bill had been her best friend for years. He'd been her partner, her family, and she trusted him more than anyone else in the world. And now, the look on his face had her thinking twice about this morning's actions. It hadn't seemed like a big deal at the time, but now….well, would it have killed her to wait another hour for Bill to have shown up?

Then again, she knew that'd he'd come looking for her the second he'd arrived at the dig site, he always did. She smiled weakly. "Yeah, alright," She said finally. "I promise."

"You took far too much time coming to that decision," Bill told her, despite looking relieved. He knew her far too well. "Weighing your options?"

"Something like that," Dani shook her head, leading them up the path, and pushing the flap open to a green canvased tent on their left and ducking inside.

Not for the first time in her life, or even that day, she found herself immensely thankful that she was a witch. One of the great marvels of the undetectable extension spell was that tents like this one, small and unremarkable form the outside, were so much grander on the inside.

It was a full meeting room, which doubled as a canteen. It was complete with water closets, a small kitchen and mercifully cool air. Tables filled much of the first room, long ones for communal eating, smaller circular ones for meeting and planning. The smaller tables were covered in books and scrolls, documents and maps. There were several pin boards on the walls, and bookshelves containing not only books, but artifacts in need of classification, brushes and tool sets, a wireless, and a coffee pot.

Inside, there were a few people milling about. Madge, their kitchen witch, and unofficial site-mother, was threatening some of the local wizards with a spatula to stay away from the pies she had cooling on one of the tables. A few of the interns eating breakfast at one of the long tables, and at one of the book-laden round tables was Jacob Rossi.

"Morning Jake," Dani greeted her friend with a smile. He was a remarkably skinning man with sandy blonde hair and green eyes. He was currently doubled over a scroll on the desk, comparing it eagerly to a book in his hands. He nodded to them as a greeting, but didn't look up.

Jake was one of Dani's best friends, but he was also somewhat of a mystery to her He'd been a few years above her in school, in Slytherin, of all places, though he certainly wasn't what Dani would call the embodiment of the house. He was tall and lanky, shy and studious, and a self-proclaimed bookworm. He openly admitted that he didn't like the heat, sand, or even getting dirty, and he looked as though he belonged in a library or a museum rather than a tomb.

He was also one of the best translators that Dani had ever met. He was clever, quick witted, and what he lacked in grace, he made up for in a panoply of facts and tireless research. He was also quite perceptive, and incredibly resourceful when he needed to be. Dani was constantly thankful for his presence here, and the calming factor he brought to the team.

"Hi Jake," Bill plopped down at the table across from him; Dani took a seat too, slightly more gracefully than her friend.

"I see you found her," Jake said, still not looking up from where he was writing in a steady sprawl.

"Yeah," Bill said nonchalantly, "She was down in Antechamber K," He looked far too innocent for his own good. Dani knew exactly what he was up to.

"Alone?" Jake's quill stilled, and he looked up finally. He like the rest of the team, had a tendency to be extremely overprotective of her. It came with the territory of being one of the only girls on the dig site, she supposed. And to be fair, she was equally as overprotective of _them._

"Yeah, Yeah," Dani slung her pack from her shoulder onto the table and waved her hand dismissively at him. "You'll both forgive me for it once I show you what I've found." She pulled her hour journal and flipped through the pages, setting it on the table once she'd reached the red ribbon that had marked her page. She slid the journal across to Jake and leaned back casually in her chair.

Jake straightened his thickly rimmed reading glasses, and turned the journal around. He began to translate the runes, reading at a painfully slow speed. "Only... under…"

Dani, as impatient as ever, took over. She'd read the words through enough times to know them by heart, and when she spoke, she caught both Bill and Jake's stares.

" _Only under Darkest Night,  
When She shines her fiery light,  
Mountains tremble, paths are near,  
What you seek will soon appear,  
The King awaits the lonely one,  
And He alone can take His throne.  
But be wary Traveler, for trials await,  
And few alone can best this fate.  
The start of tests is at hand,  
Beneath the layers of rock and sand,  
So fear not child, your fate is sealed  
The King's rest, will be revealed." _

Jake's mouth dropped open. He glanced down to the symbols in her journal, and then back to Dani, amazed. "W-what?" He asked, brow furrowed.

"What the hell was that?" Bill dropped his feet down from the chair they'd been propped up on to lean forward, hoping to get a better look at the symbols himself.

"Where did you get this?" Jake asked at the same time.

"It's only a rough translation," Dani chewed on her lip, "But…remember those numbers that we found? The weird ones that we found etched in that tablet in the stone box?" Of course they remembered, When they'd first found the site, outside the entrance of the pyramid was a thick stone box. It had taken them nearly a week to break the curses on it.

Inside had been a tablet, with a symbol and a string of numbers. They hadn't figured them out yet, but it had been a constant point of discussion and intrigue among them.

They'd searched everything they could think of: Dates, coordinates, mathematical and arithmancy equations, ciphers, codes. But they had gotten nowhere. Nothing anyone could think of had them any closer to cracking the numbers. Until this morning.

Dani leaned forward and flipped her journal back to the beginning, where she'd originally carefully copied down the tablet, drawn a picture of the box. "It was a cipher after all."

"What?" Bill repeated, catching her eyes. As impressed as he was by her translation and puzzle solving abilities, what he was really asking was why she hadn't told him anything about this. They shared everything, even wild speculations and random inklings that were just odd shots in the dark. She'd kept this from him, and he wanted to know why.

"I wasn't sure," Dani explained, with a shake of her head. "I didn't even want to bring it up without proof, because it seemed like a farfetched solution, and I didn't want to get our hopes up again." She frowned. "In antechamber K, there's a wall with that glamour-curse, the one hidden under that wall that was a tribute to Nefertiti?" She chewed on her lip. "There were hundreds of words on that wall, but it always seemed sort of out of place—" She flipped back to the page that she'd copied down today, and held the pages between her hand, flipping back between the two. "They both had the same symbol." She pointed it out.

It wasn't a glyph that they recognized, so they had assumed that it had been the author's mark. It was an upside down V with three lines coming out of the side, fanning out like cat's whiskers. Inside the V was an arch, cupped upwards, and a circle in the center. It had stood out to Dani when she'd first seen it, and to be honest, she wasn't sure how she hadn't made the connection sooner. She suspected some sort of notice-me-not charm.

"Each number corresponds to a word, and it took me a while to get them all down, but once I did…" She blushed, looking up at her friends. Jake was reading over the page again, mouthing the words as he translated and then looked up to stare at her again. "This is….brilliant!" He jumped up and pulled her into a tight hug. "You're brilliant!"

"He could really be buried here then?" Bill exclaimed, pulling her into a hug the second Jake had released her, excitement heavy in his voice. "You know what this means?"

"That we aren't going to lose our funding after all?" She was thinking it too, "That Gringott's is going to keep the site open?"

"It means…that we are going to have to look damn good for the benefactor party tonight," Bill grinned back. "Owl Kate and find Ted— we're going to get our grant renewed."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** All canon characters, scenery and plot references are the property of J.K. Rowling. I do not own or profit from this story in any way.

 **Rating** : M for language and eventual sexual content

 **Summary:** Dani and Bill have been best friends for as long as anyone can remember. They've also butted heads for as long as anyone can remember. Throw in a lost king, a team of curse breakers and a good mystery, and you've got yourself a story.

 **Author's Note:** Posting chapter two because apparently when I have a chapter done, it's really hard for me to _not_ post it. I probably should make a schedule, so that I have some sort of rules for myself, but seeing as you all don't know what this story is about yet….well let me attempt to garner your interests by posting another one.

* * *

 **Under The Desert Sun**

Chapter Two: You say party, we say…"Okay, yeah, sounds like a good time."

 _The world I love, The Tears I drop,  
To be part of, the way you can't stop,  
Ever wonder if it's all for you?  
_ **Can't Stop –** Red Hot Chili Peppers

* * *

"Oi, Dani, are you ready yet?" Bill called from where he was lounging on the leather sofa of the flat that they shared. They'd been best friends since they were 12, and the flat in Cairo was a lot cheaper with the two of them paying rent on it, especially considering how many nights that they both spent in their tents at the dig site.

"Hold your hippogriffs, I'm coming!" Dani shouted back, pulling her hair into a quick bun and securing it with her wand and a few pins. It was a trick that she'd learned from Kate, their Boss. It looked stylish, but was easily accessible; most dresses didn't come with pockets.

She glanced over her reflection, nodding in approval. Dani had never really been one to dress up unless necessary. She chose instead to stick to her dad's old leather jacket and the airy shirts and tank tops that she wore at the dig site. Her hair was too curly to deal with most days, so she usually clipped or braided it back, anything to keep it out of her face. It was stupid to wear makeup in Egypt, with the sticky and humid air, and Dani knew from personal experience that she'd sweat it off in minutes.

Her hair, a dark shade of brown, was usually a mop of curls which spanned past her shoulders, wild and untamable, and slightly reminiscent of a lion. She kept it as a reminder of her Gryffindor days. She was slim and athletically built, with rather delicate features, though the fire that was reflected in her blue eyes, and the way her jaw was set grimly quickly put off anyone who would call her delicate.

To be perfectly honest, fashion and makeup weren't her strong suit. That wasn't to say, that she didn't know how to dress up, but there was something that had always seemed pointless to her about wearing nice clothes when you were just going to play in the dirt all day.

For benefactor, bank or museum events, she had made a definite exception. She'd learned long ago that dressing well earned her points, and benefited the dig. It was worth dressing up to fund her dream.

Now, she was done up in a strappy black dress that reached her mid-thigh, and heels that she wasn't overly fond of due to the limited mobility that they offered. She wore a silver bracelet and a matching necklace, and carried a bright red clutch to match the red headband in her hair. Her makeup was light, but accented her green eyes and olive skin, and decided that she looked good enough, she emerged into the living room to find her roommate. "Okay, ready," She spotted him, reading the paper on one of the two leather couches in the room.

He dropped the paper down on his lap, and promptly wolf-whistled, "Damn, you look good."

"I'll admit," She smiled coyly in response, "It's nice not to be covered in a layer of dust for once." She shrugged, pulling Bill to her feet and grabbing the edges of the loose tie around his neck. He looped it for him easily. There would be both wizards and muggles at tonight's event, and so they had to dress the part. Few of the people that would be there tonight would actually know the full extent of the dig site, and Gringotts was in no hurry to tell any of the muggle benefactors and backers that supported them.

Bill smiled, and reached up to brush a stand of loose hair out of her eyes, and behind her ear. "I know you hate it," He said warmly, and then looked her over with a sly grin, "But you really do look amazing."

"Thanks…so do you, for the record," She shot back, grinning at her friend. She was reminding, not for the first time, just how much she cared for her best friend. "Are you ready to charm the pants off of them?" She asked, offering him her arm.

Bill slipped his arm through hers and laughed, "I'm ready," He nodded.

Together, they disappeared with a crack. The reappeared seconds later inside a room, labeled as the VIP hall. VIP in this situation meant wizards, much to the annoyance and confusion of some greatly offended muggle donors. Regardless, Dani and Bill exchanged a look before heading down the hallway to the ballroom beyond.

The ball room was lit fantastically for the evening. Twinkle lights hung in clusters from the ceiling, masking the entire ceiling with an ocean of stars. There were dozens of people filling the room, voices rising above the cacophony of gentle music from the live brass band near the front of the room. Tables lined with white cloths were clustered near the center of the room, covered in elegant centerpieces and calligraphied place cards, candles and floral arrangements.

There was a bar along one of the walls, with half a dozen men in black button-up shirts behind it, and more milling around with glistering silver trays that caught the dimmed light of the chandeliers above. Bill and Dani joined the foray of people, smiles on their faces as they tactfully scanned the room.

"There's Jake and Ted," Dani spotted two of the members of their team, and two of their closest friends. She smiled, catching Ted's eyes with a warm smile. Ted, or Theodore Campbell, was loud and outspoken, and sometimes came off as kind of an asshole, but he was a genuinely great guy, who was a lot nicer than he let on. He was tall and muscular, and had black hair and grey eyes, and an ever present grin on his face. He had a tendency to come off as cocky, but Dani loved him anyway.

"Will shit Dani," Ted said as they approached. He had a drink in his hand, and probably at least another in his system already. "I always forget how fit you look in a dress until you show up for one of these things" He smirked, looking her over. Bill made to say something, but Dani beat him to it.

"Well shit Teddy," She grinned back, "I always forget how much of an arse you are until you open your mouth," She quipped. Bill, Jake and even Ted laughed, though Ted clutched his heart dramatically. She was the only one who ever got away with calling him Teddy, and she took full advantage of that fact.

"You wound me," He said, though he was grinning.

"Baby," Dani quipped, brushing a strand of loose hair behind her ear. She turned to Jake, "So what's the plan boss? She asked. Jake always seemed to have some sort of plan.

"Why do you just assume that I…" Jake started incredulously, and then shook his head at her mischievous grin, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer. Somethings were best left unknown. "Oh never mind." He shook his head. "Kate's here, so we all should check in with her at some point before the nights over," He grinned, they'd already had a long chat with Katie earlier in the day when she'd appeared at the dig site, and she'd been just as excited about their discovery as they were. "She'll probably want to show of us to some of the Banking folks, so be charming," He looked at each of them pointedly.

"Always," Bill quipped cheerfully, and it was true. The oldest Weasley had enough charm in him for all of his 6 siblings.

"Other than that," Jake continued, turning his attention to Ted, "Bruce McAllen's daughter is here, rumor is, he'll invest in anything that she approves of, but she's much smarter than she looks."

"Luckily so is Ted," Dani interjected.

"Oi!"

"However," Jake took the drink from Ted's hands, "She's a muggle, so best behavior, and no more drinking. We don't want a repeat of what happened last time." He said pointedly. Last time, Ted had gotten drunk, and dissipated his date to a more…romantic location from the middle of the ball room. It had been a mess, the ministry had gotten involved, Ted had got a heavy fine, and dozens of memories had to be wiped.

"I'm never going to live that one down, am I?" Ted groaned.

"Nope," Dani grinned, taking a sip from Ted's drink that Jake was certain had been in his hands only seconds ago. He wasn't entirely sure how she had gotten it without him noticing.

He shook his head, "Dani," He turned to her, "What do you know about Shawn Allistor?"

"Rich, handsome investor," Dani shrugged scanning the room for the man in question. "And dating what's her face." Everyone knew that Shawn Allistor was notorious for being in monogamous relationship with Stephanie Owens, a key member of a competing team. He'd always been out of the question before for that very reason.

"Word is, that he and Stephanie just went through a very harsh breakup, though they're trying to keep it all very hush-hush," Jake grinned at her. Dani wondered, not for the first time, exactly where Jake got his information, but she trusted him completely. "So…" He continued, "How charming can you be?"

"Was that a trick question?" She downed the rest of Ted's drink.

"What about me?" Bill asked curiously, wondering if he'd have a target tonight.

"Eh…" Jake shrugged, "There's some minor investors we'll can schmooze," He glanced around, "Museums and private collectors, but…for the most part, you are a free man."

"Lucky me," Bill said smirking, glancing sideways to Dani.

"Oi, want to trade?" She demanded, shooting a glare to her friend.

"Somehow, I don't think that I'm the sort of bloke that Shawn Allistor is interested in, but I can give it a go if you like," Bill said with a grin.

"Oh shove off," Dani brushed past her friend, and made her way across the room and towards the bar. She'd need another drink to pull this off. She scanned the room as she walked, and spotted Shawn a few seconds later, he was at one the white clothed tables, surrounded by people. At his table were pretty girls and men in suits, all talking to him, trying to strike up a business deal. Shawn looked bored.

Dani grinned confidently, walked right past his table and caught his eye, and then raised her eyebrows, jerking her head to the bar. Shawn smiled.

He was handsome, and the type of guy that Dani would consider to be her type. He was muscular and tall, and on their first meeting a few years ago, Dani had discovered that he was a grand balance between bookishness and athleticism, and he had a good sense of humor to boot. They had met several times since, and had always gotten along well, but he'd been off limits before now.

He met her at the bar, a warm grin on his face. "You," He said greeted with a grin, "have just saved me from several long and tedious conversations." He pulled her into a loose hug, surprising Dani. "Can I buy you a drink?

"Hi Shawn," She smiled back, "Drinks are free."

"In that case," Shawn beamed, leaning on the bar next to her, "You can buy me one."

She laughed, forgetting how much she liked the man, "How have you been?" She asked, "I haven't seen you since…"

"That museum gala in London last spring," Shawn seemed to remember exactly when he'd last seen her. "I loved the article you wrote for _curse-breaker quarterly_ last month," He continued, "The one with the translation of the Tsetu script that you uncovered in that Asian temple last year."

"Ah yeah," Dani remembered wistfully, "That was such an exciting discover, I was just really lucky to be a part of it."

"From what I hear, lucky didn't have all that much to do with it," Shawn countered, flagging the muggle bartender down. She ordered a vodka tonic, he asked for a whisky and soda. "Your team has quite the reputation."

"It's a really amazing group to work with," Dani admitted, affection for her team seeping into her tone. "They're practically family," She added.

"And I've heard a rumor that you're after the Lost King's tomb?" He asked eagerly.

"Hey now," Dani waved a hand absently in the air. "I don't usually make a habit of discussing my business with the enemy." She took a nonchalant sip of her newly delivered drink, looking him over.

"The enemy?" Shawn asked with a curious smile.

"From what I hear, you're an avid sponsor of Devin MarKay's team," She said smoothly, taking another sip of her drink. "I'm hardly going to be sharing insider secrets."

"Ah," Shawn's smile faltered for just a second. "Well, we've had a recent falling out," He admitted grimly.

"In that case," Dani's eyes flashed mischievously, "Buy me dinner first, then we'll talk," She quipped, not missing a beat. As much as she hated all the schmoozing and flirting that was necessary to support a dig, she was fairly decent at it. Though, to be fair, Shawn wasn't making it all that difficult.

"Oh yeah?" Shawn smirked. "How's tomorrow?"

"I think we'll be able to work something out."

…

The rest of the night went just as smoothly. Dani spent the better part of an hour talking to Shawn Alastair, who was unexpectedly fascinating to talk to. They had a lot more in common than Dani had remembered, and the subtle flirting woven into their effortless conversation didn't hurt. Last time that she had talked to him, he had been committed to his girlfriend, now, he was a free man, and openly flirtatious.

Dani did her best to ignore the glares from Marissa Summers, who was from a competing team (Stephanie's to be exact), though, some of the girls who'd been crowded around him before seemed to share the seething looks. She jokingly accused him of 'keeping her to himself,' and promised to see him the next night at dinner, before bowing out to look for her team. She didn't see Bill anywhere, but Ted seemed to be making decent progress with Trisha McAllen, and Kate and Jake were chatting away with some Gringott's officials.

Kate was the ideal boss. She made a point to know her team, and know them well. She knew their strengths and weaknesses, and just how well they worked together, after all, she had hand selected them herself. She loved the work as much as they did, and often wished that she was in the field with them, instead of the piles of paperwork and politics that seemed to be involved in keeping the dig sites alive. But still, she was committed and passionate, and damn good at her job.

But to Dani's eyes, she was the personification of sophistication, tall and slim, ebony skin and hair drawn up into a perfectly styled bun. She dressed well daily, suits and dress robes and what Ted called "all manners of fancy things." Tonight, she'd really outdone herself, wearing a sparkling blue dress, and strappy heals, clutching a black bag to her side, her makeup done just right to accentuate her blue eyes and crystal white smile.

She had taken Dani under her wing on one of their first meetings, especially once she realized that the younger girl didn't have much in the way of role models. Until then, the only older witch she could go to for advice was Bill's mum, and Molly Weasley had enough to do, raising 7 children. Kate and Dani had been close since, and Kate regularly sent owls to the girl, asking how she was doing, and just checking up on her. Dani couldn't be any more grateful for all the woman had done for her.

"We received an anonymous donation this morning," Kate surprised Dani by appearing in front of her, Jake at her heels.

"Another one?" Jake was the one to speak, his surprise evident. He scanned the room for anyone who might be suspicious. The team had been receiving anonymous donations for years now, backing their dig, and keeping the site alive when there seemed to be no other sources.

"Blimey, I wonder if our mystery donor is here," Dani scanned the room too. "And how they always know when we need money." She added, suspicious.

"Seriously, I'd like to buy this bloke a drink," Jake continued, sipping at his own drink. "Or maybe 20." He added thoughtfully.

"You seemed to be getting on with that Shawn Alastair fellow," Kate looked her friend over pointedly a wry smirk on her face.

"Yeah," Dani agreed. "I've got dinner with him tomorrow."

"Keep this up," Kate's eyes flashed in amusement, "And we'll never be hurting for money again."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** All canon characters, scenery and plot references are the property of J.K. Rowling. I do not own or profit from this story in any way.

 **Rating** : M for language and eventual sexual content

 **Summary:** Dani and Bill have been best friends for as long as anyone can remember. They've also butted heads for as long as anyone can remember. Throw in a lost king, a team of curse breakers and a good mystery, and you've got yourself a story.

 **Author's Note:** For those of you asking (Mostly just CBC- because you're awesomeeee), this story takes place after the war. Bill and Fleur never met/got married. Though….she may or may not be making an appearance soon. One of the great/frustrating thing about Harry Potter is that JK invents all these fascinating characters with mentions of their rich backgrounds and gives them all of two chapters of book time and then kills him off.

That's probably why fanfic writers love her though. Rich, underused, love-able characters to develop and play with further…That, and magic in the world written in a way that's not fanatical. Anyway Thanks for reading!

* * *

 **Snake in the Grass**

 **Chapter Three:** Sticks and Stones and mummy bones

 _She'll lie and steal and cheat, and beg you from her knees  
And make you think she means it this time  
She'll tear a hole in you, the one you cant repair  
But I still love her, I don't even care.  
_ **Stubborn Love –** The lumineers

* * *

Bill was gone when Dani arrived at home. It shouldn't have surprised her as much as it seemed to. Bill was charming and looked dangerous, and he always seemed to have what she'd always lovingly referred to as 'a gaggle of gawking girls,' that seemed to follow him around. He'd be remiss to not occasionally go one with one of them, and Dani certainly couldn't blame him for that. But she hadn't seen him most of the night, not even to make good on their old promise to dance together at every single one of these 'ridiculous' functions. He'd never missed dancing with her before.

She hesitated in the living room, slipping out of the uncomfortable heels that she'd suffered through all night, despite the comfort charms she'd cast earlier (Another trick from Kate). She considered, briefly, whether or not she should wait up for him, or, just go to bed. She chided herself for being silly. Bill was a big boy. He could take care of himself. And so, instead, she scrubbed off her makeup, changed into shorts and a tank top, and gone to sleep.

He still wasn't in when she woke up. In fact, she didn't see her roommate at all until the next morning, when he appeared through the front door as she was sitting at the kitchen counter with a large mug of coffee cradled in her hands. He was still in last night's clothes, and she did her best to mask her surprise. Bill, _her_ Bill, who she'd talked into being irresponsible on multiple occasions, was not one to break rules intentionally, or, stay out all night. Usually, he appeared sometime after midnight after one of his romantic trysts, and not stay the night…wherever he'd been.

Dani held back teasing and protective comments that might sound possessive, and stuck to the simple, her style. "Hey."

"Hi," Bill said, glancing to her carefully, as if to see If she was judging him for his actions. Heavens knew that Dani had done some incredibly stupid things in her life.

"Coffee?" Dani pushed off the counter, summoning a cup before he could respond.

"Er…I've had some already, thanks," Bill stopped her mid pour, shifting awkwardly.

Dani shrugged, taking a sip from the cup herself, as if it had been her design all along. She burnt her tongue. "So…" She said slowly, hopping back up on the counter, "Good night then?"

"Why don't you just come out and ask what you wanted to," Bill demanded, escalating the conversation quickly.

"Well I'd suspect that if you had something to tell me, you would have done," Dani was never one to back down from an argument, especially not from one with Bill. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks already.

"I'd assumed that maybe you'd cared that I'd gone," He replied flatly.

"I'm not your mum Bill," Dani shot back, "You can stay out as bloody late as you please, and it's got nothing to do with me."

"Oh come off it!" Bill's voice was close to shouting now. "Just last week, you were put off because I wasn't home before midnight!"

"Because we had a presentation with the Goblins at 7!" Dani found that she was shouting now too, "And I knew that you'd had too much to drink before I'd left," She shot back. "You promised to come straight home, and then what? Did you?" Her arms crossed over her chest defensively. "Of course I was bloody cross." She growled. "I had to give the talk on my own!"

"I don't understand the difference," Bill said stupidly.

"Do you _want_ me to care if you were out with some floozy doing God knows what?" Dani shouted, "It's different when it affects our bloody job!"

Bill's face turned bright red, the way it always did when she'd struck a chord. "Our Job?" He repeated, "Our Job!" He was shouting now too. "You know better than to think that I'd ever let anything come between me and the job!" He exclaimed. "The job that I _love,_ and, if you recall, the job that I _helped you get!"_ He was fuming. "And she's not a floozy! What the hell kind of man do you take me for!"

"An idiot," Dani growled in response. "One who can't stop bringing up the fact that you introduced me to Kate, _clearly,_ I was too helpless to get my _dream job_ on my own. But you know: the fact that my best mate, who just so _happened_ to be in a position to put in a good word, because he graduated a year before me, went through the _trouble_ of helping me out." Her hands were shaking. "Apparently I'll be indebted to you for _life_ at this rate." She could see that the argument wasn't going anywhere, but she couldn't seem to stop herself from shaking, so she continued to speak, lowering her voice.

"Bill…you're my best mate," She said quietly, "I don't have a say in where you've gone, or how late you're out, but you seem to forget that I've worked really hard to get where I am, and I hate that you feel like I owe you for that," She said, eyes flicking up to meet his face. "Thanks for helping me get this job, but please _, please_ , stop using it against me," She pushed off of the counter, straightening, and grasping her wand tightly onto her wand. "I'll see you at work," And with a crack. She was gone.

* * *

Appearing in the Egyptian desert she immediately, headed towards the tent that was designated as hers, barely greeting the people that she passed on the way, other than to offer curt nods and smiles that didn't really meet her eyes. Inside her tent, she let the tears fall, settling in on a chaise and hugging a pillow to her chest. She wouldn't give Bill the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She never did, if she could help it, She was too stubborn, too engrained in her gran's superficial views: crying was a sign of weakness, and to never, ever appear weak.

But, his words had really gotten to her, and for as often they did it, she really hated fighting seriously with Bill. It brought back memories that she'd sooner forget.

She shook away the tears, tying her curls back with a scarf and slashing clean water on her face from the sink in her water closet. She laced up her spare pair of boots, before pushing out of her tent again, and blinking against the light. She'd forgotten her work bag at home, so she'd have to pop home and grab it at some point after the morning meeting. For now, Jake and Ted were waiting at the conference table in the main tent.

"Morning Dani," Ted greeted with a yawn, "Bill close?" His eyes scanned the closed tent flap behind her, Dani and Bill usually appeared together, or at least, within a few minutes of each other in the mornings. Today, this didn't seem to be the case.

"He'll be along in a bit," Dani said nonchalantly, sitting down at the round table that her team favored in the mornings. She reached over and pulled the arithmancy equation she'd abandoned yesterday over to her.

Jake and Ted both knew better. "Ah, fighting again?" Jake asked, not missing a beat.

"Something like that," Dani said dryly, with a grimace, fingers worrying the edge of her parchment. "How'd it go with Trisha last night, Teddy?" She turned her attention to her friend, trusting that he'd have a good, and distracting story that would shift the attention from the argument that she may or may not have had with Bill.

"Eh, fair enough," Ted shrugged, "She's a little dull."

"Everyone's too dull for you Teddy," Dani said with a light laugh.

"Well….you aren't," Ted flashed her a smirk and a grin, "And yeah, that was an invitation."

"Speaking of," Jake glanced between them, ignoring Ted's shameless flirting completely, "You've got dinner with Shawn Alistair tonight, right?" He asked, even though he knew perfectly well that she did.

"What?" Ted explained, "And you let me go on, why didn't you say so?!"

"Eh," Dani shrugged, "I don't kiss and tell," Dani winked, scratching out a figure in her equation and correcting it with her quill.

"Ask her again after several drinks," Jake said tactfully, "Then she might."

They fell into easy camaraderie after that. The boys teased her after her dinner with Shawn, and she teased them back in kind about Ted and Trisha and Jake's attempt to flirt with one of the server. They talked and laughed and joked, and made plans for the weekend, and Dani was struck by just how much these boys had become her family over the years.

They were mid conversation when the tent flap pushed open and Bill ducked inside, he looked between them, before dropping down next to Dani and passing her the leather knapsack that she'd left at their flat.

"You forgot your bag," He greeted, handing it over with a nod of greeting to the others. He looked a lot calmer now, and he'd showered and put on a new set of clothes.

"Thanks," She nodded to him, giving him a small smile too, reassuring him that everything was okay between them. He smiled warmly back at her, setting an arm on the back of her chair, before seamlessly joining their conversation.

The rest of the day, they kept themselves busy, categorizing artifacts, translating hieroglyphs, and showing Kate and some select investors their recent findings. Dani finally got a chance to talk to Bill again when the popped home at the end of the day.

"Listen…" She began, this hadn't been their first fight, and it probably wouldn't be their last. They were both incredibly stubborn when they wanted to be, "I'm sorry if I…"

"No, I'm sorry," Bill cut her off, "I was sort of an arse this morning."

"Well…" Dani smirked.

"Oi!" Bill tossed a pillow at her, plopping down on the couch, "You weren't supposed to agree!"

Dani giggled, "So we're alright then?" She asked, growing serious again, and sitting down gingerly next to her friend.

"Yeah," He slung an arm around her, "always," He pulled her indo his side, she relaxed against him with a sigh. "Speaking of," He said with a smile, "Weasley family dinner on Sunday, Mum says to make sure you come, because, and I quote, "She's too skinny and going to waste away to dust out there in the desert,"" He rolled his eyes, squeezing her shoulder.

"I know," She smirked, leaning her head against his chest, "She owled me asking if I'd come."

"Merlin," Bill shook his head, "I swear you talk to my family more than I do." He shook his head.

"I do, actually," She assured him mischievously, "Charlie, Ginny and the Twins anyway," She added.

"I should be surprised," Bill laughed, "But I'm really not."

"I need to go in and see the twins in the shop this weekend, now that I think about it," She considered, "Thanks for the reminder."

Bill's eyes raised in suspicion, "You can't just see them at the house?" He tugged at one of the curls that had escaped from her pony tail .

"Nope, this is about business," She told him with a shrug.

"Again, I'm not entirely sure that I want to know," Bill shook his head, "Anyway, did you want to grab dinner…. Or…"

"Oh Christ," Dani sprung to her feet. "Oh shit," She said again, glancing down to her watch, "I've got to meet that-one-guy in an hour," She sprung towards her bedroom, cursing under her breath.

"Who's that-one-guy?" Bill stood too, following her to open door of her bedroom, where she was already stripping down to her sports bra and shorts. It was nothing that he hadn't seen before, of course, but she could feel his eyes linger for just a few seconds too long.

"Shawn Alistair," She told him, pulling her hair down from its scarf and barrette and running her fingers through her tangled curls.

"What?" Bill blinked several times, forcing his eyes to her face.

"We've got a date tonight," She scanned the room for a towel, and found one hanging over her door, grasping onto it and slinging it over her shoulders.

"You've got a date with Shawn Alastair? Bill repeated, stepping aside so that he didn't get run over when she barreled towards the bathroom to shower.

"I'm trying to get him to invest in our team," she shrugged, and peaked through the door, "Dinner tomorrow?"

"Sure," Bill backed off, shaking his head, a smile forming on his lips. "Good luck?"

"Oh Bill darling," She laughed, "It's cute that you think I need luck." She clicked the bathroom door closed with a snap.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** All canon characters, scenery and plot references are the property of J.K. Rowling. I do not own or profit from this story in any way.

 **Rating** : M for language and eventual sexual content

 **Summary:** Dani and Bill have been best friends for as long as anyone can remember. They've also butted heads for as long as anyone can remember. Throw in a lost king, a team of curse breakers and a good mystery, and you've got yourself a story.

 **Author's Note:** I don't have it in me to kill of either of the Weasley twins, Sirius Black, or Remus Lupin. I love them too much. Therefore they are alive in this story, even if Sirius and Remus don't play an active role. It's already AU, you know, conveniently forgetting about canon character deaths it just a fringe benefit!

Thanks for reading!

* * *

 **Under the Desert Sun**

 **Chapter Four:** Mind, Control.

 _I know a time is coming,  
All words will lose their meaning  
Please show me something that isn't mine  
But mine is the only kid that I can relate to..  
_ **Black Mirror –** The Arcade Fire

* * *

"You look lovely," Shawn pulled her chair out for her, a warm smile on his face. He'd dressed down tonight from the last time that she'd seen him, now wearing a pair of fitted muggle jeans and button up shirt, a smile playing at his features. He certainly looked less tense than he had the night before, and there was a warm smile playing at his lips.

"Thank you," She nodded her thanks for both the chair and the compliment, "So do you, by the way," She offered. She'd dressed down too, a black denim skirt and a lacy tank top with a black cardigan over it and black flats on her feet. She'd be a sadist to wear heels two days in a row. Still, Bill had told her that she looked 'good' before she left from where he'd been sprawled out on the leather sofa reading a book on ancient runes.

"And by lovely, you mean ruggishly handsome, right?" Shawn implored, sitting down in his own chair and earning a laugh from his date.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I meant," She assured him with a smile, eyes sparkling in the dim light of the restaurant.

"Listen?" He hesitated, "There's something that I want to say before we continue," He bit his lip, looking nervous for a second.

"Oh?" Dani couldn't help but hide her curiosity, she took a sip of the ice water ahead of her, and ran her fingers along the cool condensation of the glass.

"I don't intend to flatter myself….but…" He took a breath, fingers drumming on the tablecloth ahead of him. "I'm not looking for anything serious right now; I've just gotten out of a bad relationship…and well…" His face turned red.

"I understand, thanks for telling," She mirrored his actions, biting her lip as well. "May I clear the air as well?"

"By all means," Shawn smiled warmly, leaning back against the back of his chair.

"I don't know you well enough to ascertain your intentions, but I know that you've spent a considerable amount of time with a team that I am in close competition with," She nodded, pausing to take another sip of her water. "My job is very important to me, and my team is my family," She added, "I don't want to come across as an arse, but I'm really very protective of both of those things."

"Fair enough," Shawn smiled, "I assure you that my intentions are honorable, for what it's worth," He took a sip of his own water glass. "And may I suggest, that we take things slowly, and see how things go?" The red tinge returned to his cheeks and Dani found herself grinning.

"Deal," She stuck out her hand for him to shake, and they both laughed when he accepted it.

"I'm going to point out," Shawn was grinning too, "How refreshing it is to have someone be straight with you from the get go?"

* * *

Dani had a good time with Shawn. They enjoyed each other's company, and he was easy to get along with. They talked about nearly everything, from where they'd gone to school, Hogwarts for her, and a small private academy in Italy for Shawn. They even talked about family, which, inch the past was a subject that Dani tended to avoid like the plague.

Her dad had been a wizard, and hadn't told her mum until she was far along in her pregnancy with Danielle. And they had fought about it, and her mum had left, unaware that her offspring would carry the same traits. She'd cut off all ties with Dani's father, to the extremity that Dani had no idea who the man was.

When Dani had started showing signs of magic, her mum had tried to stomp it out of her at first. She'd been in vehement denial, claiming that it was just a phase, one which her daughter would grow out of. When she'd gotten her Hogwarts letter, and a school official had come to explain things, her mum had taken it all in, and immediately sunk into a state of depression.

She'd wordlessly taken Dani to get her school supplies, hardly noticing the magic of Diagon Alley, or that her daughter was dancing for job for the first time in her life. She'd loved everything about Diagon Alley, from the cauldrons to the owls and bookstore and potion ingredients to the Quidditch store. She'd wanted to spend the whole day, the rest of her life exploring the shops, but her mother had been surprisingly taciturn for a woman who'd barely spoken two words to her daughter since the owl had arrived.

When Dani had said goodbye to her mother at King's Cross station at the start of her first term, her mother had hugged her tightly, said something that sounded like "I'll never be free of him, will I," and turned away. To this day, Dani couldn't describe the look in her mother's eyes at that moment; it was as if she'd been crushed, spirit and soul, and what was left was a shell of a person, nothing like the mother who'd been overbearing and controlling until then.

It was the last time Dani had seen her mother. She was called out of class in early December by her head of house, and blamed herself for the better part of the next few years. Maybe she should have said no to Hogwarts, maybe a hundred things, either way, it changed her life.

From then on, Dani had gone to live with her Gran, her mother's mother, who was a very practical woman who would not be the slightest bit okay that her only grandchild was practicing magic. And so, Dani had kept it from her, making up extravagant lies about her time spent at St. Augustine's, a boarding school in the South of France. Her grandmother would never know the truth, and Dani preferred it that way. She was too much like her own mother in that sense. To anyone else but Bill, she'd been 'raised by her gran'- they didn't need the whole story.

She found a second family in the Weasley's. Bill had been a year older than her in school, and yet somehow, he'd become her best friend. Charlie had been in her year, and the two of them had been close as well, and so, she shouldn't have been surprised as she had been when, that first year when she'd informed them of her plans to stay the holiday's at the castle, they'd taken her home instead.

Molly Weasley, and her gaggle of 5 underage children at home, had informed her that she'd hardly notice having another child underfoot, and invited Dani into her family with open arms in a way that still made Dani tear up when she though too much on it. Dani had tried to thank them with gifts and emphatic letters over the years, but Molly had waved it off and knit her a yearly Christmas sweater.

Shawn, on the other hand, was very open about his family, he had loving parents and a younger sister, all of which he spoke very highly of. They discussed their perspective jobs, Dani only briefly going over some of their site details, though she did let on that they were, in fact, after the lost King.

Shawn worked as a producer for a Wizarding Wireless Station, which was responsible for news, weather, music and reporting Quidditch scores, even a few story-telling programs on Saturdays. It was immediately clear that he loved his job. He regaled her with stories of his co-workers and friends, news that they'd covered, funny moments with celebrities, and by the time they left the restaurant, it was near closing. They made plans to see each other again soon.

* * *

Bill wasn't around when she got in again, and she hoped that he wasn't rushing into things with this new girl of his. She, of course, couldn't suggest this, because they had dated once upon a time, and she didn't want to start another argument, which it would likely result in. No, she'd have to keep her mouth shut, and play the supportive roll of best friend.

With Bill gone, she read, caught up on some work with a nightcap of elfin wine, and then resigned herself to bed, scowling at Bill's open bedroom door as she retreated into her own. But, no sooner than she shut the lights off, Bill arrived home, and peeked his head into her room to see if she was sleeping.

"I'm awake," She supplied, causing him to jump, crash into something, and curse wildly. " _Lumos,"_ She grasped her wand off the end table, "Are you okay?"

"Merlin Dani," Bill stumbled into her room and flopped down on the bed next to her, "Don't do that!"

"Don't do what?" Dani sat up, a grin on her face, "Claim to be awake?" She teased, "I wonder why else you'd have stopped in the room then," She rolled her eyes, "Alright then, I'll never claim to be awake again."

"Oh shut up," Bill said with a yawn, stealing a pillow from the head of her bed and pulling it down to his head.

"Very mature of you Mr. Weasley," Dani stuck out her tongue at her friend.

"If that's not the kettle calling the cauldron black," He poked her in the side, the grin back on his face, "I don't know what is."

"It's what you love about me, I know," Dani giggle, thwacking him with one of her pillows.

"Something like that, yeah," Bill snatched the pillow, stuffing that one behind his head too, so that he was properly lying next to her now.

"How was that girl?" She asked, rolling her side to face him.

"What makes you think that I was with her?"

"That grin on your face, for one," Dani shot back.

"You really shouldn't know me so well," Bill complained with a dramatic sigh, folding his hands behind his head.

"I like to think that I know you better than anyone else in the world," Dani propped her wand up on the bed, smiling at him.

"You do," Bill smiled too, "Can never get anything by you…hmm?"

"You're more than welcome to try," Dani laughed. "I like a challenge."

"We got a late dinner," Bill replied, shooting her a knowing look, he looked happy, at least, and she couldn't fault him for that. "I think I really like this one Dani."

"Bill Weasley, serious about a girl?" She laughed in response, "What would your mum say?"

"She'd probably die of shock," Bill laughed too, "That, or start planning our wedding."

"Or a combination of the two," Dani added.

"Definitely that one," He smirked.

"So…got a girlfriend now, have you?" Dani scanned over her friend's face, he was wearing a dazed smile.

"We've been on two dates," He defended, trying, and failing to school his thoughts into an impassive one. Dani knew him far too well for that.

"But I haven't seen you this excited about a girl since…" Dani considered, since the last time that they dated probably, but she couldn't say that. "School I think," She said instead.

"She's brilliant Dani-" Bill's smile widened. "She's bloody gorgeous, sexy as hell, and smart, and funny….and just perfect," He gushed.

"Oh really?" Dani stared at him, stomach dropping, she licked her lips, considering the ramifications of her reaction. She _should_ be happy for her best friend for being so smitten, shouldn't she? She shot him a weak smile and took on a teasing attitude instead. "Who are you and what have you done with my best friend," She asked, "And what the hell is up with the girl talk? Do you want me to paint your nails and braid your hair too?"

Bill laughed, smacking her in the arm, "Oh shut up you," He pushed a hand into his hair. "I just…want you to like her."

"If you like her, love, that I'm sure that I will too," Dani poked Bill in the side. "But don't expect me not to tease you about having a girlfriend," She added with a smirk.

"Fair enough," A warm smile crossed Bill's face, "Speaking of, how are things with that Mark bloke?"

"Mike?" Dani blinked, furrowing her brow. "Um…you know that we broke up a good two weeks ago, yeah?" She laughed.

"What, really?" Bill looked floored. "Why? I thought you liked him."

"I don't know," Dani shrugged, "It just… it wasn't working, not for me anyway, he was a bit more keen," She shook her head. "We wanted different things out of life, and relationships, and didn't agree on a few vital things," She added thoughtfully. "It wouldn't have been fair to keep dating him and expect anything different, or expect a sacrifice from either to us, so I gave him the opportunity to find what he wanted with someone else. I think it ended pretty amicably at least," She added thoughtfully.

"That's very…mature of you," Bill rolled to face her, propping himself up on an elbow. "And you're alright? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Dunno," She shrugged again, "It never came up?"

Bill sighed, "For me not being able to get anything by you, you can sure get a hell of a lot by me," He shook his head, meeting her eyes.

"My wit and cunning are two of the traits that I'm the most proud of," She smirked in response.

"How positively snake-like of you," Bill teased, but his smile fell after a few seconds. "We seriously haven't hung out in a while," He said gently, thinking that he probably should have known about her breakup. They hadn't talked like this in a while, come to think of it, usually conversation steering to work, and other innocuous things.

"We went out a few nights ago," Dani argued "And I see you every day at work!"

"I mean… we haven't hung out just the two of us, and just….talked or…" Bill scowled.

"What do you reckon we're doing now?" She sent him a curious glance.

"Just…I dunno, forget it," Bill looked younger than his years for just a second, and she was suddenly reminded of a 12 year old Bill, or Bill when he looked sad or upset. Few people saw him like this, not even among his own family or close friends, and suddenly she wanted to hug him, to cuddle into his side and tell him that everything would be alright. That, undoubtedly would send the wrong message.

"Well, what are you doing tomorrow?" She asked gently, reaching out and squeezing his hand with hers instead.

"I dunno," Bill's face lit up, "Something with you, I reckon." He beamed at her, lacing their fingers together on the covers.

"Yeah," She smiled warmly in response, "I'm yours the whole day, if you want me."

"Sounds perfect to me," He grinned, letting go of her hand and rolling back onto his back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** All canon characters, scenery and plot references are the property of J.K. Rowling. I do not own or profit from this story in any way. (Though really, if anyone wants to pay me to write full time….I'd be able to produce more chapters)

 **Rating** : M for language and eventual sexual content

 **Summary:** Dani and Bill have been best friends for as long as anyone can remember. They've also butted heads for as long as anyone can remember. Throw in a lost king, a team of curse breakers and a good mystery, and you've got yourself a story.

 **Author's Note:** I've come to realize that there are like….4 people reading this. But I love you all, so thank you!  
I'm writing ahead with both Snake in the Grass and This story at the same time, so it's kind of funny topic jumping like I've been doing. You'd be amazed at how many times I've written "Cass" and "Dani" interchangeably – Apparently I have a thing for four letter girl's names for main characters. (Ex: Kate- DDN)

This story won't be mystery in the tradition "who done it" sense, so I guess it might be labeled as 'adventure with a dash of mystery" and that facet wont come in til closer to the end when Dani goes after the lost king (I wrote riddles and puzzles!)—for now there's a lot of relationship drama and angst that will get worse before it gets better. Sorry.

…

* * *

 **Under the Desert Sun**

 **Chapter Five:** Gaggle of Gangly Gingers

 _Gold teeth and a curse for this town, were all in my mouth.  
Only I don't know how they got out dear.  
Turn me back, into the pet I was when we met  
I was happier then with no mind set.  
_ **New Slang –** The shins

* * *

When Dani woke up, Bill was still in her bed. It wasn't all that surprising, they'd shared beds a time or two before (and more when they'd been together), but still, it was disconcerting to wake up with his arms around her. They'd fallen asleep talking the night before, and though Bill's room was only meter's away, he always used to tease her that her bed was far more comfortable. He'd always been a bit of a cuddler anyway.

She slipped out of bed without waking him, reluctant to make things more awkward, and set about making coffee. Bill joined her 20 minutes later, snatching up the sections of the _Daily prophet_ that she'd finished, (she'd moved on to the local Arabic paper _the Desert Sun_ ), and neither of them commented on their sleeping arrangements the night before.

As promised, they did spend the day together. After a bit of a lazy morning, spent cooking a large brunch together, talking about the dig site, doing a little translation work, and reading, they ran into Diagon Alley. They separated only for a brief time so that Dani could meet with the twins. Dani was an investor in the boy's shop, and when she and Bill entered the brightly coloured store, she was immediately swept into hugs by the twins, who pretended to ignore their brother.

"Dani!" Fred spun picked her up, spinning her in a circle, and nearly knocking over a display of Wonder Witch products.

"Good to see you love!" George picked her up the second that Fred had set her down, spinning her in the opposite direction, and nearly knocking down the same display. Dani laughed, and leaned against him once he'd released hers, steading herself.

"Hi boys," She kissed them both on the cheeks, grinning warmly at them.

"I see how it is," Bill rolled his eyes, pushing his hand through his hair and scanning the shop. He didn't come in as often as Dani did, and it always looked completely different every time he did. Dani had been more of a trouble-maker than Bill had at school, and he was always keeping her out of trouble. Either way, she had always encouraged the twins in their trouble-making, and Bill recognized a dangerous combination when he saw one. They conspired together often, especially at family functions, or closed door meetings at the shop.

"Oh William," Fred did his best to look surprised at his brother's presence.

"Didn't see you there," George grinned, arm still wrapped around Dani's shoulders.

"Wouldn't recognize you if we had—" Fred added with a smirk.

"You never come around anymore—" George complained.

"We're starting to take it personally—"Fred added thoughtfully.

"Oi," Bill rolled his eyes, shaking his head at his brothers. "I've been busy."

"Too busy for your own family?" Fred asked his head cocked to the side.

"What would mum say?" George cocked his head in the opposite direction.

"She'd probably comment on what a horrible son she has, and give him a good talking to," Dani smirked, ducking out from under George's arm and ruffling the taller man's hair playfully.

"Oh no," Bill groaned, scrunching up his nose at his best friend, "Not you too Dani."

"You see, Dani gets us," Fred took the opportunity to wrap _his_ arm around Dani's bare shoulders, pulling her into his side.

"She comes around at _least_ once a week," George nodded enthusiastically.

"Because she loves us," Fred agreed.

"And because I can't rest a pretty face," Dani laughed, ducking out from under Fred's arm too.

"You see, that's funny, because we're identical," George explained with a laugh. Fred and Dani exchanged a look before joining in, and even Bill hid a grin behind a well-schooled expression.

"Traitor," His lips twitched.

"Well, sad to say, William darling," George told his brother, leading Dani to the back of the shop, "But we've got a closed door meeting with this lovely roommate of yours."

"So that means you need to stay here, or stay elsewhere, or just make yourself scarce." Fred added.

"Really?" Bill looked between Dani and his brothers. "I thought you were joking about that Dani," His eyes narrowed.

"Well never Joke," Fred said seriously, earning a snort from Dani.

"Well we say we never joke…" George was grinning.

"But we actually make a living on joking," Fred added, "We just don't joke about serious things,"

"Or you'd need to call up Sirius, to make that joke," Dani smirked. The twins both laughed.

"Verity, we've got our meeting, but if you need us…" George turned to the girl at the counter.

"I'll barge in in a tiff," The girl shot back, waving her hand amiably to her brothers.

"See you in a half hour or so Bill," Dani shooed her friend away, entering the work room easily, and shooting a smile to her friend.

"One of these days, the three of you are going to tell me exactly what you do in there," Bill shook his head, muttering after his roommate as she stood in the doorway.

"Keep dreaming Weasley," Dani shot back, closing the door behind her.

* * *

What they were doing 'in there', was developing products. Dani was quite skilled in transfiguration and potions, and had helped the boys one Christmas with a work around for an issue that they'd been having with a new product, and from then, they'd recruited her to help solve a few dozen other issues. When she'd actually suggested a new product, and included the specific spells and enchantments that would be needed to accomplish said product (in detail, in a notebook, broken down into steps), they'd hired her on as an official consultant to their business.

She even got a consulter's fee, though she usually donated that, and some extra to the shop as a backer every month, much to the annoyance of the twins, who told her that she had earned that money, and that she should take her cut of the proceeds and buy herself something nice, like a new broom, or a new flatmate.

Regardless, she spent about an hour with the twins, laughing and joking and helping solve issues, and laying out a new product she had the other day for a prank floo powder that sent you to a hedge maze, instead of directly to the point of intent.

When the unlikely trio emerged back in the shop nearly an hour later, all grinning at the progress that they'd made, Bill met them with a furrowed brow.

"You're done then?" He asked pointedly, eyes on Dani, who met him with a grin.

"Don't be jealous, dear William, that I tend to get along with your brothers quite well," She smirked. It was hard not to sound like the twins after spending so much time with them. And even before that, she'd known them since they were very young. They'd always been a facet in her life, and she wasn't planning on changing it anytime soon.

"That's not what I meant…" Bill shook his head. "What _are_ you doing back there anyway?"

"Now Billy," Fred took a step towards his brother, grinning mischievously

"Dearest William," George did too.

"Brother Dearest," Fred continued his slow advance towards his brother, Bill took a cautious step back, eying his brother's suspiciously "I dare say, that you and I—" Fred took another step forward.

"That we and you—" George did too, and Bill stood still, quirking an eyebrow at the strange standoff with his brothers.

"That the accumulation—"

"Congregation—"

"Conglomeration of us, as a collection," Fred grinned.

"Should perhaps, not discuss such matters-" George continued.

"In respectable company, as it were," They finished together, in the unnerving way that they always seemed to be of the same mind. Dani hid a giggle behind her hand.

Bill blinked, looking between his brothers with a raised brow. "I don't know why I bother," He shook his head "Are you ready Dani?" He settled on finally.

"He can't handle our brilliance," George sighed, pouting as he hugged Dani tightly goodbye.

"That's alright Georgie, few people can." Dani squeezed him tightly, and turned to Fred. "See you at dinner tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," Fred hugged her tightly as well. "And remember, if you ever realize how much better you can do than Billy here, let us know." He smirked, nodding to Bill, who rolled his eyes, opening the front door for Dani.

"Honestly, I don't know how those two don't drive you up the wall," He shook his head, as soon as they were out of the shop. "I get whiplash just from listening to them."

"It's probably because I think like them," Dani combatted with a grin. "The more time you spend with them, the more you start to sound like them."

"Dangerous." Bill grinned, "And I say this as someone who willingly combats curses and traps on a daily bases."

"So you have a lot of practice then?"

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping, wandering around Diagon, and eating dinner out at a pub they both loved. They returned home after to watch muggle movies on the telly and to drink a little too much, but enjoying the easy camaraderie between them. Their shared sense of humor, and capability to talk about everything and nothing in one sitting just reaffirmed in Dani's mind of how much Bill was her best friend, and how lucky she was to have him.

Their conversation was diverse, they spoke easily on everything from the war and it's relief efforts, to the next meeting of the Order of the Phoenix and rounding up remaining Death Eaters. They made bets on Ted's next relationship, or the twin's business ventures, and which teams would make it to next year's Quidditch World Cup.

And by the time that they both went to bed in their perspective rooms, it was late.

* * *

Dinner at the Weasley's was always a chaotic affair. There were people everywhere, yelling, laughter, and always delicious food. Bill and Dani appeared at the same time as the recently reconnected Percy, and the three walked up to the house together.

"How have you been Perce?" Bill asked his brother, slinging his arm over the skinny boy's shoulder and ruffling his hair; Percy rolled his eyes and ducked away from his brother, smoothing down his hair.

"I've been alright," Percy smiled good naturedly all the same, "We've been extremely busy at the ministry with all the changes that Kingsley has been making," He turned to the curly haired witch on his right, "It's good to see you Danielle."

"You too Percy," Dani smiled, "It's been what since last Beltane?" She smiled warmly at one of the boys that she considered to be her brothers. She'd been spending most holidays with the Weasley's since early in her Hogwarts career, Most of Bill's younger siblings had been children when she'd first met them, and Ginny had always claimed that Dani was as much a part of the family as any of them.

Percy flushed, in the way that he used to when Dani focused attention on him. "Er, yes, I believe so, as I've said, I've been busy at the ministry."

"You'll have to tell me about what you've been doing later," Dani smiled, sending a pointed glare and the smirk on Bill's face.

"So Percy's still half in love with you," Bill teased her after they'd returned to their flat at the end of the evening. They hadn't stayed long, only enough to talk to everyone, eat some good food, and thank Molly Weasley profusely for having them.

"Come again soon love, we miss you around here," Molly had hugged her tightly, sending them with packages of food and going on about how they were both too skinny.

"He is not," Dani rolled her eyes, stuffing their food in the icebox. "I think he just gets flustered around me because…"

"Because widdle Percy's in love with you," He teased, "Merlin can you imagine the pillow talk, "Ahem, I read an interesting statistic the other day…"

Dani snorted, but smacked him in the shoulder "You should be nicer."

"Hypocrite," He grinned in response.

* * *

At work the next day, they gathered around one of the conference tables in the canteen for a meeting. They were scheduled to explore one of the pathways leading off of antechamber K this morning, and wanted to make sure that all of their ducks were in a row before they started.

"So Dani will take the go ahead spot," Jake looked down at his notes after idle conversations about their weekends. Ted had been teasing her about her date with Shawn Alastair all morning, until she very politely told him to shove off. This earned even more teasing from her co-worker until Jake called them off, diverting their attention back on the task at hand.

"That's fine," Dani nodded, with a glance to Bill. Quite often, when clearing a chamber, they would send a team of two down the hall, to test and spring traps, and to disarm the curses and traps from both sides. It was an efficient and regimented process, that had always worked well for them in the past. Especially considering the go ahead team was usually Dani and Bill, who worked well together.

"And Bill will take the second spot?" Jake glanced to the man, who nodded immediately.

"Actually," Ted, for once in his life looked surprisingly nervous. "I was wondering…if maybe I could give it a go?" He asked. "I've been practicing, and I think…" He pushed his hand into his hair. "I would like to get better."

Jake glanced to Dani and then Bill. "Up to you Dani, you feel comfortable with it?"

"Sure, Dani grinned, just don't get us killed."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** All canon characters, scenery and plot references are the property of J.K. Rowling. I do not own or profit from this story in any way. (Though really, if anyone wants to pay me to write full time….I'd be able to produce more chapters)

 **Rating** : M for language and eventual sexual content

 **Summary:** Dani and Bill have been best friends for as long as anyone can remember. They've also butted heads for as long as anyone can remember. Throw in a lost king, a team of curse breakers and a good mystery, and you've got yourself a story.

 **Author's Note:** This is a shortish chapter, because the next chapter is one long scene that I didn't want to break up, sorry! I'll post that one early to make up for it!

Again, sorry about the slow updating, i'm one of those crazy people who like to spend their summer outside! (I'm strange, i know!)

* * *

 **Under the Desert Sun**

ChapterSix: It's a trap!

 _Dreaming again of a train track ending at the edge of the sea,  
Big black cloud was low and rolling our way  
No one on the corner had a quarter for the telephone,  
Everybody bitching there's nothing on the radio  
_ **The devil never sleeps –** Iron and Wine

* * *

It looks like there are wire traps," Bill told her, looking across the room, "Pressure plates on the floors," He shook his head and scrunched up his nose. "There's probably more that the spells don't reveal." He stepped up behind Dani and set a cautious hand on her shoulder. "Be _careful._ " He urged, not liking the idea of not having her back.

"Careful is my middle name," She replied, stretching her arms over her head and bending over. "Danielle Careful Pierce," She straightened up, glancing over to where Ted was stretching too, and where Jake was giving him a quiet pep talk.

"You're going to need to stay on my Toes Teddy," She took two steps across the chamber to stand ahead of the man. "Step where I step, and watch your balance."

"Aye, Aye chief," Ted smiled at her, looking nervous, but energetic all the same.

Jake looked nervous too, "Are you sure that you don't want Bill to second instead?"

Ted shook his head, he was determined, "No, I've got to get better somehow," He shot Dani a smile, "Besides, Dani's got my back."

"Technically—you've got mine," Dani smiled, reaching up to ruffle Ted's hair. "But we'll take it slow and steady, no sudden movements, no need to get overzealous. There's no rush in this, so take your time."

"I know, I know," Ted said, "Geeze mum."

"Call me mum once more…I dare you," Dani teased, but cut herself short, Ted needed to focus now, and so did she. She glanced back to Bill who nodded. Even _he_ was nervous, which was saying something given how usually unflappable he was.

"Here we go," She turned to face the corridor, "Ready?"

Ted came up behind her, "Ready."

And then, she moved.

It was the same familiar dance, and she'd been told once before that she did it gracefully, especially when it came to traps, so much that she'd gotten the go ahead spot on the team her second week on the job. But it was always nice to have another set of eyes with her, though it was usually Bill, who read her movements like an open book. With Ted, she couldn't fall completely into the dance, she needed to speak to him, to give instructions.

"Wire," She warned, her trained eye catching a beam of magic mid-calf. Ted didn't say anything, but reacted anyway.

"Another one," He called back after half a minute. She nodded.

After the wire there were floor plates, another set of wire traps and a rip line. Later, there was a trick floor, swinging axes, flying curses and then, finally safety.

Ted had faltered twice, but did well overall, and they both made it out completely unscathed. He let out a relieved breath, slumping down against a wall.

"Nice work Teddy," She beamed, looking back down the corridor they'd just cleared. It curved, and so she couldn't see Jake and Bill, but she could hear their voices echoing from down the hall. She sent back a Patronus down the hall, to let them know that they had cleared the other side. "We'll take a short breather and then see about disarming, yeah?" She pointed her wand at her mouth and cast a quick "Agumenti," gulping down an impressive amount of water.

Ted nodded, "You make it look so easy," He told her finally, straightening up against the wall, and then repeating her motions with his own wand. "And usually Bill follows like it's nothing."

"Well you know how Bill and I are," She sold him gently, "We work well together, but so did you Teddy, don't sell yourself short." She squeezed his arm.

"Thanks Dani," Ted smiled warmly at her, "And thanks for letting me try, I'd never intentionally put your safety at risk but…."

"You saw the second wire trap before me," She consoled, "It only gets easier as time passes, you'll be an expert in no time." She smiled at him, he grinned, back, and then glanced warily down the hall.

"Shall we?" He stood, and offered her his hand. She took it and let him pull her up.

"Let's go."

They made quick work of disarming traps and breaking the curses from both sides of the chamber. Sometimes, it was easier to trigger the traps than to break them, but they had been a team for nearly 3 years together. They all had their strengths and weaknesses, trusted each other implicitly, and most importantly, worked well together.

They all relaxed when they met halfway, hours later, teasing each other as they made their way from the cool air of the Pyramid and into the hot desert sun.

"So…you didn't kill anyone?" Bill teased, now that they were out of the woods. He slung an arm over Ted's shoulders. "Nice work."

"Thanks," Ted was usually all jokes, but he just seemed relieved and exhausted at this point.

"Come on," Dani tugged at Ted's arm, "Let me buy you a drink, it's the end of the day anyway."

"I think I might just go home," Ted said scratching at the back of his head. "I'm beat."

"Nope," Jake argued, shooting a conspiratorial grin at Dani, "Were all going out, and you're coming, we're celebrating."

"Alright, alright fine," Ted conceded, with a laugh. "You talked me into it."

"Oh…" Bill trailed off, looking somewhat anxious, "I've…er…sort of got plans," He said sheepishly.

"What? Who've you got plans with?" Jake questioned with a glance to Dani. Dani averted her eyes, arms still linked with Ted. She, as Bill's roommate and best mate was expected to know everything about the man. And sometimes, it annoyed the hell out of her. Bill was his own person, and not _her_ responsibility. Why did everyone always assume that he was?

"Er…I'm sort of seeing someone," He said rubbing at the back of his head, a little sheepishly.

"Oh," Ted was the one who spoke, "Since when?"

"The Gala last week?" Bill replied, "So I'm out tonight."

"You can't….bring her along?" Jake glanced to Dani again, who was doing her utmost to stay out of the conversation to the very best of her ability. "We're celebrating."

"Sorry, I er…we've got a reservation," Bill too, was refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"We can go out some other time," Ted said gently, trying not to look offended.

"Don't worry about it Teddy," Dani squeezed Ted's arm, "Me, you and Jakie will go out and have a brilliant time, next time we all go out, Bill will buy." She said, in an attempt to lighten the mood. She wasn't sure that it worked, but she for one, felt abandoned.

…

The questions shouldn't have surprised her when she was out with the boys later, and they all had a few drinks in their systems. She had known that they were coming, but all the same, she wasn't entirely sure how to answer them.

"I can't believe he abandoned us for some…girl….no offence Dani," Ted said, taking a large sip of his drink, and ale storm.

"None taken," She said lazily, taking a sip of her own drink and scooping up a handful of nuts.

"So who is she?" Jake asked, watching Dani with narrowed eyes. He really did not like not knowing things.

"I honestly don't have any idea," Dani shrugged, fingering the rim of her cup. "He hasn't told me much about her."

"But you two talk about _everything_ ," Ted sidled up to his friend on the bench that she was sitting on, and wrapped an arm around her. "I mean….like everything." He waved a hand for emphasis.

"He's told me that he likes her," Dani shrugged, "A lot, actually, I've never seen him like this about a girl before."

"He was like this with you," Ted continued, and Jake winced.

"Ted, maybe you've had enough," He said warningly, but looked up at Dani all the same. "Are you okay about this?" He asked after a minute of consideration, "He hasn't seriously dated anyone since the last time…."

"He's dated plenty of girls," Dani rolled her eyes, taking a long sip of her drink, and trying not to be obvious about her sudden desire to down the whole thing.

"Not seriously," Ted amended, having no such qualms about his own drink. He downed it in two gulps.

"I'm fine," Dani followed Ted's lead and downing her drink. "I've dated around too, it's not like he's going to stop being my best friend because he's moved on, honestly I'd be worried if he didn't."

Ted and Jake exchanged a glance, but nodded all the same.

"Why are we talking about this anyway?" She asked aloud, "We're supposed to be celebrating Teddy."

"Right," Jake frowned, searching her face and then nodded, "To Teddy then, for not killing anyone today."

"How can we toast to me, when Dani and I are out a drink?"

…

When Dani wasn't up in the morning, Bill was worried. He'd gotten in late himself, and she hadn't been home. He'd assumed that she'd had a late night with the guys, but even when they went out, but even on those nights, she'd always been an early riser.

He found her quickly, when he poked his head in her room, and found her curled up under her covers.

"Dani?" He asked gently, stepping inside the dark room and letting his eyes adjust to the light.

"Mmm," She croaked back in response.

"You okay?" He took another step towards the bed, a suspicious smile on his face.

"Hangover potion?" She pleaded, rolling away from him and the light he brought from the outside hall.

"We're all out," Bill said, sitting down at the edge of the bed.

"You're joking," She groaned, covering her head with her pillow.

"I am actually, here" He pressed a vial into one of her open hands. She sat up and downed the whole thing in one go, before flopping back down. "We'll need to brew more over the weekend, we're nearly out."

"Kill me now," She said as a response.

"Rough night?" He asked with a knowing grin.

"I'm never talking to Jake and Ted again," She said dramatically, already feeling the cool effect of the potion wash through her.

"Well that will make work difficult," Bill teased, "You guys got pretty crazy last night?'

"Just Teddy and I, Jake was our designated apparater, he was paranoid that one of us was going to splinch something." She yawned, sitting up, and pushing her mess of curls from her face

"With good reason," Bill shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "Feeling better?"

"Mhm, she nodded, yawning and casting a tempus spell. She was running a little late, but not too horribly "thanks."

"Hey listen, did you want to grab dinner this week sometime?" Bill asked, carefully, if she wasn't still hung over she might accuse him of being up to something. But for now, she let it go.

"Sure."

….


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** All canon characters, scenery and plot references are the property of J.K. Rowling. I do not own or profit from this story in any way. (Though really, if anyone wants to pay me to write full time….I'd be able to produce more chapters)

 **Rating** : M for language and eventual sexual content

 **Summary:** Dani and Bill have been best friends for as long as anyone can remember. They've also butted heads for as long as anyone can remember. Throw in a lost king, a team of curse breakers and a good mystery, and you've got yourself a story.

 **Author's Note:** Finally getting this one updated again! I'm a few chapters ahead here too, so you'll see several updates this week :) Thanks again for your patience!

I'm demonizing Fleur in this story. I _like_ Fleur. I like her relationship with Bill, but this is not a Fleur/Bill story, it's a Fleur/Dani story, and we need a bad guy. Fleur is a convenient bad guy. Her character might be a little ooc, but I promise you, that it is for the betterment of the story!

…

 **Under the Desert Sun**

ChapterSeven: _Mḕ kheíron béltiston.(The least bad is the best)_

 _This is how it works,  
You're young until you're not  
You love until you don't  
You try until you can't…  
_ **On the Radio –** Regina Spektor

…

Dinner with Bill was not at all what she expected.

The restaurant he had picked was a nice one, nicer than the hole in the wall pubs or cafes that they usually met at. It should have been her first clue.

Bill was already there when she nearly collapsed on the seat across from him. "You will _not_ believe the day I'm having," She told him sullenly.

"That bad huh?" He took a sip from his drink, which looked to be firewhiskey from where Dani was sitting. But Bill's gaze wasn't on her, it was set over her head, at the door. That should have been her second clue. He third should have been that he was dressed nicer than normal, her fourth should have been the fact that he had hardly glanced in her direction since she had sat down. But she wasn't paying attention, not enough to notice these things until it was much too late.

"Yeah," She grabbed his drink from the table the second that it touched the linen tablecloth and took a large swig.

"It _was_ pretty bad then," Bill shot her an amused smirk, before refocusing on the door. And then, his face lit up, and he stood.

"What are you…" Dani's brow furrowed and she turned to see who Bill had spotted. A tall and skinny blonde, who was frankly, gorgeous, was smiling at her roommate, with a set of perfect white teeth and a sultry look in her blue eyes.

"I invited Fleur, I hope you don't mind," Bill offered as an explanation, before abandoning her to greet his girlfriend with a chaste kiss on the lips.

"No, of course not," Dani said shortly, before downing the rest of Bill's drink. She was being selfish, she knew, but when Bill had asked her to meet up for dinner, she'd imagined something different. She'd expected a nice and quiet meal with her best friend. She _needed_ a nice and relaxing meal with her best friend after the day that she'd had.

She'd expected a drink or two, some good food, and then home, to watch telly, or listen to a radio program, or to just talk. And, since she'd gotten the idea in her head, losing that was a disappointment. She'd always considered herself to be a fairly flexible person when it came to plans, but a heads up would have been nice. She _hated_ being blindsided.

She planted a smile on her face and stood up, just as Fleur and Bill reached the table.

"Hello," Fleur said curiously, glancing between Dani and Bill, "And who is zis?"

"Fleur, I'd like you to meet Dani, Danielle Pierce, my best friend," Bill said with a nervous grin, wanting the girls to like each other. "Dani, this is my girlfriend Fleur Delacour."

Dani decided to play nice, "It's very nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you," She offered the taller girl a hand.

Fleur, however, seemed to be taken aback, and turned to her boyfriend, "I did not realize William, zat when you spoke of your best friend "Danny," zat it was a woman," She said pointedly, in a very French accent.

"Oh," Bill blinked, at the realization of Dani's gender ambiguous name. "Well er… yeah…. She is." He said sheepishly.

Dani's hand fell to her lap, realizing that the French witch was probably not going to accept it now. "Well…" she said awkwardly, glancing back to their table," Shall we?" Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and led the short distance back to their table. She promptly ordered a drink.

Some time passed before Fleur spoke again, when she finally seemed to wrap her head around Dani being a girl, "Vat is it zat you do, Danielle?" She said coolly, manicured fingers dancing across the lip of her own drink.

Dani didn't like the way that Fleur said her name. "I work with Bill as a Curse Breaker for Gringott's," she said slowly, glancing to Bill and trying to keep an incredulous look off her face. Of all the girls in the world for him to think was perfect, it was _this one?_

"Really?" Fleur raised an eyebrow over her drink. "Zat….does not seem like a very fitting job for a woman." She said finally.

Dani scowled, a sore topic struck. "Well," She said, overly exaggerating her W. "I seem to get by alright." She said coldly. Bill shot her a pointed glance, a warning. She knew she should play nice, for his sake. Merlin knew why, but he _liked_ this witch. She owed it to him to attempt to like her too…or at the very least….put up with her. "What do you do Fleur?"

"I am currently trying to get a job with the wizarding fashion review in London," Fleur said pride in her tone. It was true that the witch was certainly dressed well. Probably in the latest fashion trend. Dani wondered what Fleur thought of her worn leather jacket and jeans.

"Ah…" Dani said, taking a sip of her drink, "That sounds….fascinating." Where was that waiter to take their orders? Bill said something, that Dani missed, but it did prompt Fleur to ask her another question.

"So how long have you and William known each other?" She looked between them again, suspicion flashing in her gaze.

"Oh…we went to school together," Dani explained, wondering exactly what Bill had told his girlfriend about his best friend, if she didn't know that they'd been school friends, or…that she was a girl. Knowing Bill, the two probably didn't do a lot of talking.

"Ah," Fleur relaxed ever so slightly, "You went to Hogwarts as well?"

"Yeah," Dani nodded, glancing to Bill, who smiled encouragingly. "Where did you go?"

"Beauxbatons," Fleur said with a smug smile, "It vas not so…. Liberal as Hogwarts, but it vas a good school."

Dani ignored the slight on Hogwarts, and tried to keep her temper in check, "One of my best friends went to Beauxbatons, did you know Elizabeth Edwins?"

"I have heard of her," Fleur said with a frown, "But I am not familiar vith her personally," She explained with a careless wave of her hand. 'She was….several years above me in classes."

Dani raised her eyebrows, Liz was a few years younger than Dani was. How old _was_ Fleur?

Bill cleared his throat, "Ah…I don't know if you remember Dani, but Fleur was in the triwizard tournament with Harry."

"Oh!" Dani said, eyes widening slightly, "You're _that_ Fleur."

"Do you know Harry?" Fleur seemed interested.

"Through the Weasleys," Dani brushed it off, "So… you're how old, 21?" She looked between Fleur and Bill. Bill was shooting her a dangerous glance, all but telling her to shut up.

"I vill be 22 in a few months," Fleur replied defensively, silently daring Dani to challenge her.

"Oh," was all Dani could manage to say. She considered how angry Bill would be if she got up and left, if she stood up right now, and marched away from the table.

There was a long and awkward silence, and Dani looked around for the waiter again. Her drink was empty, and she forced herself to take a few long and calming breaths instead.

"I forgot to mention at work Bill," Dani focused her attention on her best friend. Bill was safe, Bill wasn't currently glaring daggers at her. "The landlord floo'd this morning, our water will be off on Thursday until 3." She told him.

"Alright," Bill nodded, wincing slightly, "About time he's fixing it though." He added thoughtfully. His girlfriend, however picked up on something different entirely.

"Vait a minute," She looked between them, and then directed her anger to her boyfriend. "Ze two of you are living together!?" Her voice was shrill, and Dani couldn't help but wince.

"I…er… um…" Bill looked to her helplessly, and then glanced to Dani.

"Is there a problem with that?" Dani snapped back. She was close to snapping, she knew it. And right now, she could hardly garner an attempt to care. Fleur wasn't the only offended party here, and Dani found herself on the defensive.

Fleur seemed to be having a similar problem with controlling her temper, and she when she spoke, she _growled_. "Vell…At least all of ze _classy_ women zat I know, do not live with a man unless zey are married to them." She said roughly, eyes flashing in anger.

"And I suppose you'd know all about what it is to be _classy,"_ Dani snapped back, eyes flashing to Fleur's manicured nails, and perfect hair.

"Guys…Maybe we should…" Bill tried, he really did, but it didn't seem to get him anywhere, it was too late to try and salvage the situation. And he looked helpless.

"I do not know vat you are implying, but I do not like it!" Fleur said loudly, drawing the attention of the tables around her.

"You're suggesting that living with a man implies sex," Dani supplied, as if she was talking to a child in primary school. "I'm saying that you don't need to be living with a man to sleep with him. And you'd know _all about that, wouldn't you."_

"You are nothing but a rude, jealous little woman," Fleur crossed her arms, accent becoming more defined the angrier she got.

"Jealous?" Dani laughed bitterly, "You're the only upset that I live with my best friend…though I guess you _do_ know Bill and I used to date, did you?"

"Vat?" Fleur gasped at her, and then turned on her boyfriend. "William, I do not think zat I am alright with Zis!"

"Well god damn it, Bill," Dani annunciated her best friend's name, "I don't think that I am either." Dani snapped.

Bill looked even more helpless, "Maybe we should just start over," he said trying to placate their anger, trying to calm them down.

"You like fiery women Bill," Dani said tauntingly, "You brought this on yourself."

Fleur meanwhile was muttering to herself in French. Maybe it was to vent, or to let off steam, but she was clearly unaware that Dani spoke the language well, and was picking up on everything that the girl was saying, which was currently something along the lines of calling Dani an 'uncultured whore,' and a few places where she wished the smaller girl would go.

"Well, as it happens, you are a manipulative bitch," She replied in perfect French, smiling blithely at the girl. "And…he will never love you the way the he loved me."

Fleur stared at her surprised for several seconds, before flushing and scowling. "You are right, he will love me more," She growled, "He is mine, and I _will_ keep him, if only to spite you."

"We'll see about that," Dani stood up, and pushed her chair back, donning her leather coat and leaving without saying another word. What the hell was Bill thinking, being with someone like that.

…

She couldn't go home, not with how angry she was, not when she was wound up and fuming. Instead, she went to the dig site, which was nearly empty except for a smattering of interns and local workers on late shift. No one that would bother her if she didn't want them to.

She went immediately to her tent and grabbed her work bag, setting it on her desk and pulling out a document she needed to translate for Gringotts. At first, she couldn't focus, her mind racing in a thousand different directions, but the work was slow and steady, and after a while, succeeded in calming her down.

Bill would come looking for her when he got home from the disastrous dinner. When he saw he wasn't at their shared flat, he'd come and find her. He always did. He would be worried, and would come to make sure that everything was okay, that _she_ was okay. He would hug her and tell her that everything would be fine.

She glanced down at her watch….Any minute now, he'd walk through that tent flap. He might be angry with her, but they'd work through it. Any minute now….

….

Dani woke up at her desk around six the next morning. There was a crick in her neck and her back her, but that was all insignificant compared to the startling fact that Bill had never came. It shocked her, it sent a sick feeling into the pit of her stomach, and it hurt. He'd _always_ come before. The only thing that had changed was Fleur. He had picked the French witch over his best friend, and it hurt.

She set her head in her hands and took several shaky breaths. It was going to be a long day.

Bill was late for work, but when he did arrive, he didn't even look at Dani. It made Dani wonder what sort of lies Fleur had told him about their heated French conversation. Perhaps Dani _had_ been a little harsh on the other witch, but she was defensive and snappy, already coming off a long and bad day, she was just as blind sighted by the meeting as the French witch had been.

It was made abundantly clear though, that Bill, who had _always_ had her back in the past, always been loyal, her best friend, had chosen another girl over her. It hurt more than any argument that they'd ever had. It hurt more than Dani could even put into words, and she felt like crying for most of the day. She felt like throwing up, or going home and hiding under her blankets for the next week.

Both Jake and Ted realized that something had happened immediately, but other than a few exchanged glances at the morning meeting, no one spoke of it. Still, Dani was relieved when Jake split them into teams for an easy day of classifying artifacts and writing up providences of them for the London Museum of Magic. Jake and Bill worked together at the opposite side of the camp from Ted and Dani.

"You alright?" Ted asked her immediately when they were alone. Dani could feel his gaze on her, but ignored him, focusing on a stone carved scarab, charmed to flutter about the area, in her hand.

"I don't want to talk about it Ted," Dani told him stiffly, and she didn't, not now, probably not ever. She and Bill had made an agreement to not bring their team into their fights a long time ago, and this was one of their worst ones yet. It wouldn't be fair to impact how well their team worked together with personal drama. They'd always been good about pausing every fight they'd ever had enough to be professional at work. Otherwise it'd be unfair to everyone involved.

And besides, she was liable to break down in tears at any time if she did. Hell, she was liable to break down in tears just thinking about it. And as much as she loved Ted, she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't know what to do with her crying. He'd panic, and probably worry.

He seemed to consider what she said for several minutes before sighing. "Alright," He got the message, and held up an artifact. "I've got a strange purple rock. How the hell do you itemize that?"

…


End file.
